We have a Tom Tom, one of the upper end models with all the features you describe. I rarely use it (real men don't need these...do they?) but my wife loves it - the traffic and the lane guidance are great. Although I have heard TomTom is the best one to have in Canada but does not cover the US as well as Megellan, so you may want to check out some online reviews to see if that is true.
Portable GPS Systems
I am looking to replace my five year old Garmin Nuvi 200W Portable GPS. Any suggestions/recommendations on any particular models? I am looking for a unit that has real time traffic and looking around the 200-250 price range.
Thanks! :rockon:
Thanks! :rockon:
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I have a Garmin Nuvi 780 and really like it. It can set up for MSN direct which will give you instant traffic, weather, gas prices, movie reviews, blah,blah,blah. Plus it has blue tooth and works great with my cell phone. It automatically finds my phone when I get in the car. And the clarity is great with the hands free. I paid about 250.00 for it about 6 months ago so it should be sub-200.00 by now.
Oh, I forgot. We went to MD a couple of weeks ago and I forgot my I-touch. So I downloaded some songs from my laptop onto a SD card and used the Garmin with pair of headphones I bought and it sounded real good. It also can be used to view pictures and the clarity is good.
Oh, I forgot. We went to MD a couple of weeks ago and I forgot my I-touch. So I downloaded some songs from my laptop onto a SD card and used the Garmin with pair of headphones I bought and it sounded real good. It also can be used to view pictures and the clarity is good.
I have the Navigon APP on my iPhone. Even though i have sync, i still like to see the map and have it recalculated quicker with traffic. Thats why im trying to get a built in navi from ford put it
I have a nüvi 765T. Got it last year from Costco. I think I paid around $200. It's got the free FM traffic and a 4.3" wide screen. It's OK but I've been disappointed with some aspects of if.
First, the touch screen is pretty bad. I'm always making corrections because I'll hit one letter but get another. Sometimes it's way off. I'll hit 'J' and get a 'T'. I've also had an issue with directions coming a little late 3 or 4 times over the last year or so. Once, it told me to take an exit just as I passed it and I ended up going over the George Washington Bridge. That little slip cost me $8. Other times, it just cost me a little time. The only other issue is the traffic is sporadic. Sometimes it's spot on and will direct me around an incident. Other times, I never see traffic that it's reporting. I'm also a little disappointed in how often it loses the traffic signal. It relies on an FM signal that isn't everywhere. It's kind of like 3G on cell phones. Sometimes it's there. Other times it isn't.
I looked for an additional car cable but since it has the traffic receiver built into it, it costs $80. It will work with a non-traffic cable if you are willing to go without traffic in a 2nd car... or just don't try to hide the cable under the dash.
Not all is bad though. The maps are great and most of the time, very accurate. Start up and recalculation times ar quick. The screen is bright and sharp but it can get washed out in direct sunlight.
My favorite feature is the FM transmitter. I added an 8 gb SD card full of music. When I drive out to my sisters house in PA, I use the MP3 player as soon as I start loosing my normal radio stations. It works great so long as there isn't any interference from nearby stations.
If you can put up with it's quirks, it's a good unit for the money... if you can get it for $200 or less...
FYI - MS will be discontinuing MSN Direct in 2012. I would avoid units with this feature.
First, the touch screen is pretty bad. I'm always making corrections because I'll hit one letter but get another. Sometimes it's way off. I'll hit 'J' and get a 'T'. I've also had an issue with directions coming a little late 3 or 4 times over the last year or so. Once, it told me to take an exit just as I passed it and I ended up going over the George Washington Bridge. That little slip cost me $8. Other times, it just cost me a little time. The only other issue is the traffic is sporadic. Sometimes it's spot on and will direct me around an incident. Other times, I never see traffic that it's reporting. I'm also a little disappointed in how often it loses the traffic signal. It relies on an FM signal that isn't everywhere. It's kind of like 3G on cell phones. Sometimes it's there. Other times it isn't.
I looked for an additional car cable but since it has the traffic receiver built into it, it costs $80. It will work with a non-traffic cable if you are willing to go without traffic in a 2nd car... or just don't try to hide the cable under the dash.
Not all is bad though. The maps are great and most of the time, very accurate. Start up and recalculation times ar quick. The screen is bright and sharp but it can get washed out in direct sunlight.
My favorite feature is the FM transmitter. I added an 8 gb SD card full of music. When I drive out to my sisters house in PA, I use the MP3 player as soon as I start loosing my normal radio stations. It works great so long as there isn't any interference from nearby stations.
If you can put up with it's quirks, it's a good unit for the money... if you can get it for $200 or less...
FYI - MS will be discontinuing MSN Direct in 2012. I would avoid units with this feature.
I was actually looking at that exact model. Thanks for the advice! I have it narrowed down to that model and a couple other garmin models.RobtRoma said:I have a nüvi 765T. Got it last year from Costco. I think I paid around $200. It's got the free FM traffic and a 4.3" wide screen. It's OK but I've been disappointed with some aspects of if.
First, the touch screen is pretty bad. I'm always making corrections because I'll hit one letter but get another. Sometimes it's way off. I'll hit 'J' and get a 'T'. I've also had an issue with directions coming a little late 3 or 4 times over the last year or so. Once, it told me to take an exit just as I passed it and I ended up going over the George Washington Bridge. That little slip cost me $8. Other times, it just cost me a little time. The only other issue is the traffic is sporadic. Sometimes it's spot on and will direct me around an incident. Other times, I never see traffic that it's reporting. I'm also a little disappointed in how often it loses the traffic signal. It relies on an FM signal that isn't everywhere. It's kind of like 3G on cell phones. Sometimes it's there. Other times it isn't.
I looked for an additional car cable but since it has the traffic receiver built into it, it costs $80. It will work with a non-traffic cable if you are willing to go without traffic in a 2nd car... or just don't try to hide the cable under the dash.
Not all is bad though. The maps are great and most of the time, very accurate. Start up and recalculation times ar quick. The screen is bright and sharp but it can get washed out in direct sunlight.
My favorite feature is the FM transmitter. I added an 8 gb SD card full of music. When I drive out to my sisters house in PA, I use the MP3 player as soon as I start loosing my normal radio stations. It works great so long as there isn't any interference from nearby stations.
If you can put up with it's quirks, it's a good unit for the money... if you can get it for $200 or less...
FYI - MS will be discontinuing MSN Direct in 2012. I would avoid units with this feature.
No problem... Good luck with the search and don't forget to let us know what you get.Stealth87 said:I was actually looking at that exact model. Thanks for the advice! I have it narrowed down to that model and a couple other garmin models.
eace:A few months ago I got a TomTom 540TM, with the 5" screen, lifetime free maps and traffic. I've taken 2 long trips since, and it worked flawlessly. I had the expensive OEM navigation unit in my MKZ, and this TT is far superior. I paid $189 and see that they can now be bought on Amazon.com for $50 less than that.
I love my nuvi 255WT. Picked it up on sale from Best Buy for its Black Friday price about five months ago. $230
Most of my likes and dislikes are similar to the essay written above!
Most of my likes and dislikes are similar to the essay written above!
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
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